Hyles nicaea

Hyles nicaea, the Mediterranean hawk-moth, is a moth of the family Sphingidae. The species was first described by Leonardo de Prunner in 1798.

Mediterranean hawk-moth
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Lepidoptera
Family:	Sphingidae
Genus:	Hyles
Species:	H. nicaea
Binomial name
Hyles nicaea (de Prunner, 1798)
Synonyms
Sphinx nicaea de Prunner, 1798 Sphinx cyparissiae Hübner, [1813] Celerio rubida Oberthür, 1916 Deilephila nicaea castissima Austaut, 1883 Deilephila nicaea carnea Austaut, 1889 Celerio nicaea margine-denticulata Oberthür, 1916 Celerio nicaea albina Oberthür, 1916 Celerio nicaea libanotica Gehlen, 1932 Celerio nicaea sheljuzkoi Dublitzky, 1928 Deilephila nicaea lathyrus Walker, 1856 Deilephila nicaea crimaea A. Bang-Haas, 1906 Deilephila nicaea orientalis Austaut, 1905

Distribution

The nominate subspecies is found from southern Portugal and Spain though southern Europe to Turkey. It is also found on the Balearic Islands and in south-western Bulgaria.

Description

The wingspan is 80–100 mm.

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  Female Hyles nicaea nicaea
• 
  Female Hyles nicaea nicaea, underside
• 
  Male Hyles nicaea nicaea
• 
  Male Hyles nicaea nicaea, underside

Biology

Adults are on wing in June in one generation. At times there is a partial second generation in August. Subspecies H. n. castissima is on wing from May to June and from July to August in two generations. Subspecies H. n. orientalis is on wing from June to July in one generation. Subspecies H. n. sheljuzkoi is on wing in May and July/August in two to three generations.

The larvae feed on Euphorbia species, including Euphorbia nicaeensis. Subspecies H. n. orientalis feeds on Euphorbia petrophila and Euphorbia seguieriana and H. n. sheljuzkoi has been recorded on Euphorbia oxydonta in Jordan.

Subspecies

• Hyles nicaea nicaea
• Hyles nicaea lathyrus (eastern Afghanistan, north-western India and Xizang)
• Hyles nicaea castissima (Atlas Mountains of North Africa)
• Hyles nicaea sheljuzkoi (Lebanon and northern Israel to western Xinjiang in China)
• Hyles nicaea orientalis (southern Crimea and western Transcaucasia)

• 
  Female Hyles nicaea castissima
• 
  Female Hyles nicaea castissima, underside

Gallery

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  A Hyles nicaea caterpillar on the southern slopes of the Alborz Mountains, near Jaban, Damavand, Iran, at 2870 m elevation in alpine scrubland.
• 
  In the same location

External links

• Moths and Butterflies of Europe and North Africa
• Pittaway, A. R.; Kitching, I. J. "Hyles nicaea sheljuzkoi (Dublitzky, 1928) -- Greater spurge hawkmoth". Sphingidae of the Eastern Palaearctic. Retrieved December 15, 2018.
• Lepiforum e.V.